Auctions
Drake Maye channels Tom Brady, Pats glory days as rookie cards soar
Tom Brady left the New England Patriots after the 2019 season; four years later, coach Bill Belichick followed him out the door. Since then, Patriots fans have been wondering: Is there life after Brady and Belichick?
Turns out there is.
The immediate post-Brady years saw multiple quarterbacks stumble and even bumble trying to live up to No. 12’s gigantic shoes. There was Cam Newton in the twilight of his career, Brian Hoyer, Jarrett Stidham, Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, Joe Milton, Jacoby Brissett... and now, finally, Drake Maye.
As a rookie in 2024, Maye took over for Brissett in Week 6. The result: a 41-21 loss. As the 2024 season progressed, the losses mounted—eight vs. only three wins. The trend continued in 2025, as Maye and the Pats lost two of their first three games. So entering Week 4 of the 2025 season, Maye had a woeful 4-11 record as a starter. If you live in New England, you know the fan base was getting restless.
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And just like that, there was an about-face—an unlikely turnaround. New England beat up Carolina at home, 42-13, and followed up with a stunning 23-20 upset over the Bills (in Buffalo!).
The wins started piling up, reaching eight in a row through mid-November. In the process, Maye began looking like—dare we say it?—the second coming of Tom Brady. Through 11 weeks, he had thrown 20 touchdown passes vs. only five interceptions and was the NFL’s most accurate QB, completing 72 percent of his passes.
Suddenly, the Patriots are king of the NFL hill, tied for the best record (9-2) with only six games left. And suddenly, NFL collectors were glomming onto Maye at a wallet-emptying pace.
Consider the sale in mid-October of a 2024 Topps Resurgence “Amped Up” Superfractor card. Graded PSA 10, the 1-of-1 card inspired 109 bids and rose to $25,600. (It would have appeared on our “next 10” chart this month, but the auction closed during our previous tracking period.)
Two weeks later, in early November, a 2024 Panini Flawless #1/1 card of Maye sold for almost as much, falling $100 short ($25,500 on 59 bids) and making this month's “next 10.”
And those aren’t the only Maye items to draw big bids during the revitalized Patriots’ return to glory. Check out these prices paid for Maye cards in October and November:
• $14,900 on 76 bids for a 2024 Panini Contenders Rookie Ticket Optic “Nebula” card.
• $13,700 on 46 bids for a 2024 Panini Flawless “Red, White, and Blue” #1/1 card.
• $13,575 on 47 bids for a 2024 Panini Prizm Gold variation graded PSA 9.
• $10,100 on 66 bids for a 2024 Panini Flawless Emerald “Debut Duals” card with two patches, each bearing the NFL shield and Nike swoosh. It was marked #1//2.
• $9,400 on 26 bids for a 2024 Panini Prizm Deca Black Gold Prizm marked #5/5 and graded PSA 10.
Before we get too breathless about Maye’s prospects, we should remember he has a long way to go before even sniffing Brady’s status as an NFL quarterback. But with nonstop inflation and hobby speculation, the prices being paid for his tops cards are closer than you might expect.
On eBay, the highest-selling Brady cards in October and November were:
• 2017 Panini Prizm Stained Glass “Gold Mojo” card (#4/10; BGS 9) that brought $23,100 on 46 bids.
• 2000 Bowman Chrome Refractor (PSA 7) that fetched $22,322.
Of course, neither of those cards bears an autograph. And neither is the holy grail: Brady’s 2000 Playoff Contenders signed Rookie Ticket, which routinely sells for five- and six-figure prices and, at a major auction house in 2021, exploded for a record $3.107 million. For now, we can watch as Maye’s rookie cards chase that holy grail—and as he pursues Brady’s record of seven Super Bowl rings.
Here's a look at our monthly Top 10 of the top sports card sales on eBay:
TOP 10 CHART
1. $48,550 on 52 bids: 2018 Bowman Chrome Shohei Ohtani Green Refractor, #25/99, auto (BGS 9.5, auto 10)
2. $43,100 on 37 bids: 2024-25 Panini Prizm Stephen Curry Black Manga #2, Artwork by @bbkei (PSA 10)
3. $41,651 on 96 bids: 1976 Topps Walter Payton with secondary-market autograph (PSA 3, auto 10)
4. $40,200 on 56 bids: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle (PSA 4)
5. $36,766 on 28 bids: 2003-04 Upper Deck SP Ultimate Collection LeBron James Ultimate Rookie, #140/250, auto (BGS 9.5)
6. $35,200 on 60 bids: 2010 Topps Chrome Ken Griffey Jr. Superfractor, #1/1 (PSA 9)
7. $34,666 on 72 bids: 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth, red background, batting (PSA 4)
8. $34,099 on 54 bids: 2003-04 Upper Deck SP Ultimate Collection LeBron James Ultimate Rookie, #227/250, auto (BGS 9.5, auto 10)
9. $31,600 on 40 bids: 2022-23 Panini Flawless Stephen Curry Star Swatch Signatures Emerald, #1/5, auto patch (ungraded)
10. $31,100 on 77 bids: 2025 Topps Chrome Nick Kurtz Red Refractor, #1/5, auto (PSA 10, auto 9)
THE NEXT 10
• $30,000 on 1 bid: 2018 Bowman Chrome Shohei Ohtani (pitching), auto (PSA 9)
• $28,988 on 41 bids: 2017 Panini Flawless Patrick Mahomes II Ruby, #13/15, auto (PSA 10)
• $27,500 on 34 bids: 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan (PSA 9)
• $27,477 on 70 bids: 2009-10 Panini Playoff National Treasures Jrue Holiday, #1/1, auto, Logoman patch (PSA 8)
• $26,618 on 41 bids: 2024-25 Panini Prizm LeBron James Black Manga #1, Artwork by @bbkei (PSA 10)
• $26,100 on 9 bids: 1984-85 Star Michael Jordan with secondary-market autograph (BGS 7, auto 10)
• $25,500 on 59 bids: 2024 Panini Flawless Drake Maye, #1/1, auto with Nike patch (ungraded)
• $24,999 on 31 bids: 2024-25 Panini One and One LeBron James, #1/1, Logoman patch (ungraded)
• $24,949 on 83 bids: 2025 Topps Diamond Icons Shohei Ohtani Gold Autographed Jumbo Patch Card, #1/1, auto patch (ungraded)
• $24,100 on 64 bids: 2024-25 Panini Eminence Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Emerald, #2/3, auto patch (ungraded)
